Air conditioning apparatus



Nov. 5, 1957 H. w. TAYLOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1954 INVENTOR. 549L557 WTATLOR Nov. 5, 1957 H. w. TAYLOR 2,811,842

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 25, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. HALsa WTAYLOR Nov. 5, 1957 H. w. TAYLOR 2,311,842

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 25, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet s IN V EN TOR.

HALEET WTA LQR BY%IWMM Nov. 5, 1957 H. w. TAYLOR AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed bot. 25, 1954 INVENTOR. :I ALSE-T \MTATLOR AIR coNmrloNiNo APPARATUS Halsey W. Taylor, Warren, Ohio, assignor to The Halsey W. Taylor Company, Warren, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 25, 1954, Serial No. 464,433

6 Claims. (Cl. 62-140) My invent-ion relates to air conditioning apparatus, more particularly to portable apparatus which will dehumidify and cool the air in an area, such as a room in a dwelling house, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved apparatus of this kind.

Because of prevailing conditions of excess humidity, particularly in Southern climates, an air dehumidifying apparatus is considered an essential item, not only to provide human comfort but also to prevent mildew, rust, and other deleterious action to dwellings and clothing apparel. Dehumidifying apparatus may be made at a relatively low cost as compared to other types of air conditioning apparatus and accordingly air dehumidifiers have enjoyed sales in considerable amount.

However, although dehumidifiers have increased human comfort and have helped to prevent deleterious action, in most cases the dehumidified air returned to the room is substantially at the same, or even higher temperature, than it was when it entered the dehumidifier, and human comfort was accordingly not greatly aided.

My invention provides an apparatus which dehumidifies the air in a room as effectively as apparatus presently available and adds, at very little increase in cost, means for cooling the air.

Commercially available air cooling means require considerable electric power and correspondingly large apparatus to effectively lower the temperature of an entire room, whereas a dehumidifier for such room would re quire considerably less power and smaller apparatus.

My invention is embodied in a dehumidifier apparatus requiring ordinary power and accordingly is not principally designed to cool the entirety of a large room; rather, the apparatus of my invention, although it will dehumidify the air in a room, is largely designed to cool only selected portions or objects in the room and in this respect has a large-field of applications, both commercially and domestically.

For example, on a hot summer night, it is economically unsound to-cool an entire bedroom when only the bed area of the room is occupied. Again, in hospitals, as anotherexample, one patient in a semi-private room may desire a cooling effect whereas the other patient does not care, or is not permitted, to haveair cooling. Commercially, laboratories require spot cooling of certain areas to carry on experiments under required conditions, and yet other areas do not require such cooling and accordingly to cool the entire laboratory would be unsound.

The apparatus of my invention may also be used vto cool objects, either in the home,'factory or laboratory. For example, an observation quite frequently overheard in the hot summer time is that a person would feel so much better if he could only secure a good nights sleep. My invention, because it provides spot cooling and is freely portable, may be moved to position near a bed and its stream of cooling air maybe directed to cool the bed. Quite frequently, it is suflicient merely to cool the bed prior to retiring for the night since air temperatures nitedi States Patent Ofiic Patented Nov. 5, 1957 are usually lower in the late evening and early morning and the initial cooling of the bed takes care of body heat sufiiciently to permit a person to fall into a sound sleep. However, it is fully intended that my invention may be used near the bed side, such as at the foot of the bed, to issue cool gentle breezes over the bed area all night or any part thereof.

Further and other advantages will become apparent, or will be suggested, by the following detailed description of an embodiment of my invention. In the drawings accompanying this description and forming a part of this application, there is shown, for purposes of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume, and in these drawings:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of apparatus embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, parts being broken away to illustrate interior construction, the apparatus being shown in use in a dwelling which is fragmentarily shown, and in section,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view corresponding generally to the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view generally corresponding to the line 5-5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a schematic view showing means for controlling operation of the apparatus.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises an upright casing 10 having a front wall 11, a generally open back which is in part closed by a back plate 12, and side walls 14 and 15. The casing is of the console type and is readily movable about a room and, as shown in Figure 2, large wheels 16 are secured to the front of the lower end of the casing and smaller wheels 17 (which preferably swivel) are secured to the rear of the lower end of the casing to provide the mobility desired.

The casing 10 is divided into three superimposed compartments, the lower compartment being designated by the reference numeral 18, the intermediate compartment being identified by the reference numeral 19, the upper compartment being designated by the reference numeral 20. The three compartments, when the apparatus is in use, are generally out of free air circulation, at least to the extent where air circulation in one does not materially affect air circulation in another.

The compartments are formed by transversely extending divider plates 21 and 22, the plate 21 serving to collect water removed from the air and having an opening 23 adapted to direct such water into a collecting pan 24 which is removably supported within the intermediate compartment 19 and which may be removed from the casing 16, for emptying purposes, through an opening 25 in the back plate 12, or through an opening 25a which may be formed in the side wall 14, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, in the event that it is desirable to remove the pan from the side. The divider plate 22 is preferably imperforate, as shown. Suitable insulation 26, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, may line at least certain walls of the casing 10, to restrict heat transference in accordance with usual practice.

The front wall 11. of the casing 10 is provided with an opening which, in this particular embodiment, is defined by turning inwardly local portions of this front wall to provide a tubular opening 27, here shown to be rectangular in shape. The inner end of the walls defining the tubular opening 27 have inwardly turned leg portions 28,

to provide abutments against which an air filter 29, of any commercially available type, may seat. A grill 30,

preferably of decorative design is positioned in advance of the air filter and may be removably held in such position in any convenient manner.

In the casing construction herein disclosed, the side walls 14 and 15, and a top wall 31, are preferably formed from a single piece of sheet metal, the side walls 14 and 15 having inturned longitudinal flanges 32 at the front and back of the casing to provide for connection with the front wall 11 and back plate 12, the two latter walls spanning the distance between the side walls 14 and 15,

the front wall being configured to pass the adjacent insulation 26.

As best seen in Figure 3, the front wall 11, short of the top wall 31, is turned inwardly to form a horizontally extending ledge 33, a downwardly and rearwardly extending wall portion 34 which merges with a rounded lower portion 35, and the latter portion merges with an upwardly and rearwardly extending wall portion 36, the upper end of which is connected to the inwardly turned flanges 32 at the top wall 31 and at the rear of the side walls 14 and 15.

Since the wall portions 33, 34, 35 and 36 span the space between the insulation 26 carried by the side walls 14 and 15, the upper compartment 20 is divided into lower and upper sub-compartments 37 and 38 which have portions in overlying and also in side-by-side relationship. The upwardly and rearwardly extending wall portion 36 is formed with a generally circular aperture 39 to provide for circulation of air between the two sub-compartments 37 and 38.

Disposed within the lower sub-compartment 37 is an evaporator unit 40 which is generally flat and thin and spans the vertical space between divider wall 21 and the horizontal wall portion 33. The evaporator unit may be of any well-known construction and as herein disclosed comprises copper tubing 41 of sinuous form having tube portions extending horizontally, as best seen in Figure 4, and preferably flattened as best seen in Figure 3.

A plurality of heat exchange fins 42, forming part of the evaporator unit, extend vertically in the lower subcompartrnent 37 and the horizontal tube portions of the tubing 41 pass through apertures in the fins and the fins and tubing are soldered or brazed, or otherwise suitably connected, to establish good thermal conducting relationship therebetween. The evaporator 40 may be suitably supported in its position within the lower sub-compartment 37, either in fixed or removable relation by any well-known means.

In the present embodiment, and with particular reference to Figure 5, a pair of angle brackets 40w are provided for supporting the evaporator 40, one leg of each of the brackets being connected to respective side walls 14 and 15, or to the insulation 26 carried thereby, and such connection may be either of a fixed or removable nature, and preferably the latter, for ease of assembly and disassembly. The other leg of each bracket 40a is secured to the evaporator in any desired manner, such as by soldering or brazing such leg to respective curved opposite sides of the coil 41.

In the herein disclosed embodiment, upper and lower strips 44 of sheet metal are secured to the rear of the evaporator 40, such as by soldering or brazing the respective strips to the trailing edges of the fins 42, and these strips support an additional copper. coil 45 which has portions extending vertically, the vertically extending portions being connected at top and bottom by rounded integral connections 46, the lower connection ideally providing water drip surfaces.

A motor-compressor unit MC of any well-known type (such as the type shown in patents issued to Halsey W. Taylor, No. 2,704,657 and No. 2,278,226), and preferably of the type which is commonly used in air dehumidifiers, is disposed within the lower compartment 18, and the inlet end 48 (the lower left hand end in Figure 4) of the coil 45 is suitably connected to the liquid line lead, 7

ing from the motor-compressor unit so that the coldest refrigerant enters the coil 45 and circulates therethrough.

Figure 4 shows the coils 41 and 45 as being of integral construction although it will be appreciated that such coils may be separate components which are joined in fluid tight series relationship. The outlet end 49 (the lower right hand end in Figure 4) of coil 45 is joined to the corresponding lower end of coil 41 and refrigerant from coil 45 is thus circulated through the horizontally extending portions of coil 41 and the outlet end 50 of this coil (upper left hand end in Figure 4) is connected in fluid ti-ght relationship to the suction line leading from the motor-compressor unit.

A fan unit 51 is disposed in the upper sub-compartment 38 and comprises a fan blade 52 positioned adjacent to the circular opening 39 formed in the wall portion 36. The fan blade 52 is fixed to the shaft of an electric motor 53 and the motor is supported by a bracket 54 which is removably secured to the top wall 31, or the insulation 26 carried thereby, of the casing 10 in any suitable manner.

An exhaust opening is formed at the upper portion of the front of the casing 10 and, in this particular case, the opening is formed by the horizontal front wall portion 33 and by a sheet metal plate 57 which is secured to and spans the distance between the side walls 14 and 15, the plate 57 having an inwardly turned lip 58.

An air directing member 59 is disposed within the exhaust opening and in the embodiment illustrated such member comprises a plurality of sheet metal vanes 60 which extend between and are fixed to a pair of spaced circular plates 61, the plates in turn being rotatably mounted on pivot pins 62 carried by angle brackets 63 which are secured to the front flanges of the side walls 14 and 15, the pivot carrying legs of the brackets being disposed at the inner surface of the insulation 26 extending along the side walls 14 and 15. The plates 61 may have knurled or serrated peripheral edges to provide a grip for turning the air directing member, or a suitable handle may be attached to one or both of the plates 61.

A control switch is preferably mounted on the front wall of the casing 10 and includes a readily accessible operating knob 71. The switch in the present embodiment controls operation of both the motor-compressor unit and the fan unit 51. The switch 70 may be of any well-known commercially available type and is preferably thermostatically controlled to regulate temperature. In this connection a thermal responsive tube 72 extends from the switch and is positioned to be responsive to the temperature of the air entering through the filter 29, as best seen in Figure 3.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the lower compartment 18 is provided with an air inlet opening 75 which is preferably formed in the side wall 14 and is covered by a decorative grill 76. The opening 75 is provided for entrance of air to the compartment 18 for the purpose of cooling the radiator (not shown) forming part of the motor-compressor unit MC, and the radiator is preferably positioned flat-wise and in adjoining relation with the opening 75.

The back plate 12 is formed with an opening 77 to provide access to the lower compartment 18 and, in the present embodiment, a flue member 78, open at the top and closed at the bottom, is adapted to be positioned against the back plate 12 to overlie the openings 25 and 77 formed in the latter, the flue member having an opening 79 to correspond with the opening 77 whereby the air drawn in through the opening 76 by means of a fan (not shown) which forms part of the motor-compressor unit MC, may be exhausted through opening 77 and flue member 78. The flue member 78 may have angle brackets 79a welded thereto, such brackets having apertures 80 which align with apertures 81 in the back plate 12, and the latter apertures align with threaded apertures (not shown) formed in the rear flanges of the side walls 14 and 15. Thus, wing nuts 82 may be passed through the respective aligned apertures and threade home to hold the back plate 12 to the casing and to secure the flue member in overlying relation against the back plate.

An additional flue member 83 has telescoping fit with the open upper end of the member 78, and in the present embodiment, has an upper angular portion 84 adapted to direct the warm air from the lower compartment 18 to a desired location, such as outwardly of the window of a dwelling. The portion 84 may be formed of two or more telescoping parts (not shown) whereby the flue members 78 and 83 may be telescopically adjusted, vertically and horizontally, to fit varying requirements.

Accordingly, the casing 10 may be moved to a selected part of a room and the flue members 78 and 83 adjusted so that the free terminal end of the member 83 is positioned through a Window opening, the lower sash of the window being thereafter closed sufficiently to bear against the upper surface of the free terminal end of the flue member 83. In this manner, the warm air exhausted from the compartment 18 does not affect the temperature of the room.

If desired, the air conditioning apparatus of my invention may be used without the flue members 78 and 83 and such members may be disconnected from the casing 10 and the wing bolts 82 replaced to hold the back plate in place.

With the flue members connected to or disconnected from the casing 10, the latter may be freely moved from place to place in the room. One use, for example, is to move the casing in adjoining relation to a bed so that the cooled air issuing from the air directing member 59 will flow over the bed to cool the latter or its occupant. Since the cooled air issues from the top front of the casing and the warmer air from the lower compartment is exhausted from the lower side of the casing, these two diverging streams of air will not directly affect each other and spot cooling of a room, or an object in the room, may be readily accomplished.

Control means may be provided to prevent overflow of water in the collecting pan 24 and, as shown in Figure 6, such means may comprise a switch 90 carried by the dividing wall 22 and having an upwardly spring-pressed operating member 91 engageable with a portion of the bottom of the pan 24. The switch 90 may be arranged in series with the motor M of the motor-compressor unit MC and is adapted to interrupt current flow to the motor when a predetermined liquid level is reached in the pan 24. In operation, when the predetermined liquid level is reached, the weight of the water in the pan 24 is suflicient to depress the operating member 91 and open the contacts of the switch 90. The switch may be of any commercially available type and preferably is adjustable so that the predetermined liquid level in the pan 24 may be varied.

in view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have accomplished at least the principal object of my invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described, hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

1 claim:

1. Air conditioning means for removing moisture from the air in a room and for directing a stream of cooled air to a portion of said room, comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor-compressor unit, an evaporator unit within said casing and in refrigerating circuit with said motor-compressor unit, said evaporator unit comprising an assembly including a first refrigerant conduit embedded in thermal conducting relation within a plurality of heat transfer fins arranged in edgewise relation with respect to the incoming air whereby air is cooled by passage thereover, a second refrigerant conduit positioned at the trailing edges of said fins and adapted to receive refrigerant which is colder than that passing through said first refrigerant conduit to chill the cooled air to its dew point, said second conduit having a plurality of drip surfaces, 21 water receiving pan below said drip surfaces for collecting water dripping therefrom, and a fan for positively causing air to enter at said inlet, pass through the spaces between said fins and over the surface of said second refrigerant conduit and to exit through said air outlet.

2. Air conditioning means for removing moisture from the air in a room and for directing a stream of cooled air to a portion of said room, comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, an evaporator unit within said casing and comprising an assembly including a first refrigerant conduit embedded in thermal conducting relation within a plurality of heat transfer fins arranged in edgewise relation with respect to the incoming air whereby air is cooled by passage thereover, a second refrigerant conduit positioned at the trailing edges of said fins and adapted to receive refrigerant which is colder than that passing through said first refrigerant conduit to chill the cooled air to its dew point, said second conduit having a plurality of drip surfaces, a water receiving pan below said drip surfaces for collecting water dripping therefrom, a fan for positively causing air to enter at said inlet, pass through the spaces between said fins and over the surface of said second refrigerant conduit and to exit through said air outlet, and a motor-compressor unit within said casing and shielded against engagement with the dehumidified and cooled air passing through said casing, said motor-compressor unit having connection with said first and second refrigerant conduits.

3. Air conditioning means for removing moisture from the air in a room and for directing a stream of cooled air to a portion of said room, comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor-compressor condenser unit having liquid and suction lines, an evaporator unit within said casing and comprising an assembly including a first refrigerant conduit embedded in thermal conducting relation within a plurality of heat transfer fins arranged in edgewise relation with respect to the incoming air whereby air is cooled by passage thereover, a second refrigerant conduit connected in series relation with said first refrigerant conduit and positioned at the trailing edges of said fins, the inlet end of said second refrigerant conduit being connected to the liquid line of said motor-compressor condenser unit and the outlet end of said first refrigerant conduit being connected to the suction line of said motor-compressor condenser unit whereby said second refrigerant conduit passes refrigerant which is colder than that passing through said first refrigerant conduit to chill the cooled air to its dew point, said second conduit having a plurality of drip surfaces, a water receiving pan below said drip surfaces for collecting water dripping therefrom, and a fan for positively causing air to enter at said inlet, pass through the spaces between said fins and over the surface of said second refrigerant conduit and to exit through said air outlet.

4. Air conditioning means for removing moisture from the air in a room and for directing a stream of cooled air to a portion of said room, comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor-compressor condenser unit having liquid and suction lines, a conduit in circuit with the aforesaid lines and including a first portion embedded in thermal conducting relation within a plurality of heat transfer fins arranged in edgewise relation with respect to the incoming air whereby air is cooled by passage thereover and also including a second portion arranged outwardly of said fins and positioned at the trailing edges of said fins, the inlet end of said second portion being connected to the liquid line of said motor-compressor condenser unit and the outlet end of said first portion being connected to the suction line of said motorcompressor condenser unit whereby the coldest refrigerant passes through the second portion of said conduit to chill the cooled air to its dew point, said second portion having a plurality of vertically extending parts each having a water drip surface at its lower end, a water receiving pan below said drip surfaces for collecting water dripping therefrom, and a fan for positively causing air to enter at said inlet, pass through the spaces between said fins and over the surface of said second portion and to exit through said air outlet.

5. A compact dehumidifier and air cooler, comprising an upright casing having lower, intermediate and upper compartments, a motor-compressor unit in said lower compartment, a water collecting pan in said intermediate compartment, and an evaporator unit and air moving fan in said upper compartment, said casing having vertically spaced air inlet and air outlet openings in its front Wall, each communicating with the interior of said upper compartment, said evaporator comprising a thin fiat structure arranged generally upright and in height slightly less than the height of said upper compartment to provide for air flow thereover, said fiat structure being composed of a refrigerant conduit embedded within a plurality of heat transfer fins which are arranged edgewise to the flow of air entering said air inlet opening to cool the air by passage through spaces between the fins, and said fan being positioned behind said evaporator unit and extending downwardly from the top of said upper compartment an amount at least halfway of the height of said upper compartment, and an air deflector shield having a front portion confining the upper end of said evaporator unit and an intermediate portion extending downwardly and in spaced relation with the rear of said evaporator unit and a rear portion extending upwardly to an upper part of said upper compartment, said intermediate and rear portions of said deflector shield defining a pocket to accommodate movement of the blades of said fan, and said 8 rear portion being apertured to provide for air flow therethrough.

6. Air conditioning means for removing moisture from the air in a room and for directing a stream of cooled air to a portion of said room, comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet, a single motor-compressor condenser unit having liquid and suction lines, an evaporator unit within said casing and comprising a compact assembly including a first refrigerant conduit having horizontally extending portions embedded in thermal conducting relation within a plurality of heat transfer fins arranged in edgewise relation with respect to the incoming air whereby air is cooled by passage thereover and comprising further a second refrigerant conduit connected in series relation with said first refrigerant conduit and having vertically extending portions positioned in abutting relation with the trailing edges of said fins, the inlet end of said second refrigerant conduit being connected to the liquid line of said single motor-compressor condenser unit and the outlet end of said first refrigerant conduit being connected to the suction line of said single motorcomp-ressor condenser unit whereby the refrigerant is colder when it passes through said second refrigerant conduit and is relatively warmer when it passes through said first refrigerant conduit, whereby the air cooled by said first refrigerant conduit is chilled to its dew point by contact with said second refrigerant conduit, the latter conduit having drip surfaces at the lower ends of said vertically extending portions, a receiving pan below said drip surfaces for collecting moisture dripping therefrom, and a pan for positively causing air to enter at said inlet, pass through the spaces between said fins and over the surface of said second refrigerant conduit and to exit through said air outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,232,459 Hull Feb. 18, 1941 2,268,451 Hull ec. 30, 1941 2,272,083 Candor Feb. 3, 1942 2,667,041 Henderson Jan. 26, 1954 

